Protecting Worker Health and Safety
Directs the Department of Labor's OSHA to issue revised COVID-19 workplace safety guidance within two weeks, launch a national enforcement program targeting the highest-risk violations, and consider issuing emergency temporary standards — including mask requirements — by March 15, 2021.
Establishes a coordinated federal effort to extend COVID-19 worker protections beyond OSHA's direct reach, covering public employees, agricultural and mine workers, and other workers not protected under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
What this order does
What it orders
The order directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through OSHA, to issue revised COVID-19 workplace safety guidance within two weeks, determine whether emergency temporary standards on COVID-19 (including masks) are necessary and if so issue them by March 15, 2021, review existing OSHA enforcement for gaps and equity concerns, launch a national enforcement program focused on violations putting the most workers at serious risk, and run a multilingual outreach campaign informing workers of their rights. OSHA is also directed to coordinate with states that have their own approved safety plans and to consult with state and local governments in states that do not.
It also directs the Secretaries of Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and Energy to explore ways to protect workers not covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and directs the Mine Safety and Health Administration to consider emergency standards for coal and metal or non-metal mines. The order does not itself impose any new legal requirement on employers or workers; actual mandatory standards are contingent on agency determinations and future rulemaking.
Who it affects
All U.S. workers — especially healthcare workers, essential workers, public employees, agricultural workers, and miners — who face COVID-19 exposure on the job. Employers subject to OSHA regulation are directly affected by potential new guidance and emergency standards.
Why it matters
Workers in high-exposure settings may gain new enforceable protections if OSHA determines emergency standards are necessary. Employers could face stricter inspections and enforcement under the new national program, particularly in industries where large numbers of workers are at serious risk.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The order works in stages: OSHA issues revised guidance first (within two weeks), then determines independently whether emergency standards are warranted and, if so, must publish them by March 15, 2021. Enforcement and outreach programs run in parallel. Protections for workers outside OSHA's jurisdiction depend on multi-agency coordination and exploration — no mandatory standard is created for those workers by the order itself. Implementation is explicitly subject to available appropriations.
Actions and deadlines
- Issue revised guidance to employers on workplace safety during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Determine whether emergency temporary COVID-19 standards, including mask requirements, are necessary and issue them if warranted
- Review OSHA enforcement efforts related to COVID-19 and identify short-, medium-, and long-term improvements
- Launch a national OSHA enforcement program targeting violations that put the most workers at serious risk
- Conduct a multilingual outreach campaign informing workers of their rights under applicable law
- Coordinate with states with approved occupational safety plans to ensure adequate COVID-19 worker protections
- Explore mechanisms to protect workers not covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act during the pandemic
- Consider whether emergency temporary COVID-19 standards for coal and metal or non-metal mines are necessary and issue them if warranted